That is a good idea.But I actually prefer a very hot iron, the hotter the better when it comes to soldering tiny stuff. It allows me to do it quickly. I use a very sharp tip, touching with the point only and using very skinny solder.

So I went out last night and bought a capacitance measuring multimeter since mine bit the dust.

I checked my "indented" capacitors from my overzealous zip-tie tightening. Turns out they are all well within spec so I don't think that will be a problem. They are 5% caps and measuring about 1% high.

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Don't fret too much though. It will likely have only moved its value 1/2 of a % or less. I'd be surprised if it shifted 1%. It is already +/-5% tolerance so there is no telling where it really is to begin with.

Thought this would be the right thread to ask this question regarding crossover assembly.

A while back in another thread (top-shelf mini monitors?), there was discussion regarding using binding posts as nothing more than "clamps" to connect bare speaker wire to the input wire leads of a completed crossover, making a wire-to-wire mechanical connection with nothing in between, this being to try and get as close to "a straight wire from amp to crossover" as possible.

Similarly, the way Danny has described his use of solder as basically a "glue" to hold what is otherwise a bare twisted wire-to-wire connection between crossover components sounds to me like a similar tack to the same ends.

Now, my question is whether or not one could use the same mechanical clamping situation as the binding post description above when connecting individual crossover components to eliminate the soldering, make component changes (for tinkering) easier, and still not hinder the final sound quality? I know that adding "ring clips" to the ends of the component leads would be a step in the wrong direction, but how about if one just did a little work with some jewelers' pliers and built/wound rings from the ends of the component lead wires directly. Then, maybe use a brass screw and a pair of washers to sandwich the end "ring" on one component to the next, tightening down to clamp the two mechanically in contact with each other? Wire splices could be done similarly as Danny has outlined, just strip out a section of wire insulation as needed, twist a loop into the exposed wire, and tighten down into a screw connector just as before.

I know it would add a small bag of extra hardware, and some extra time/labor in hand working the components, but I can see a few benefits as outlined above (mainly making component swaps for those who like to tinker with caps and such a breeze). I got the idea stuck in my head after looking at the sterling (high-end) crossover builds from Hawthorne Audio. I'm not necessarily sold on adding the brass ring clips as they do as being a good idea considering the high quality of components being used, but maybe by keeping things even simpler. . .?

One minor question to add. In the pictures on the first page of this thread, the joints are soldered before the OFC wire is attached. I haven't started wiring yet, but I have twisted all parts together. Should i wait to solder until after the rest of the wiring is done and solder all at once? Or can I solder everything on the crossover, then solder the OFC joints a second time after I actually attach the OFC?

One minor question to add. In the pictures on the first page of this thread, the joints are soldered before the OFC wire is attached. I haven't started wiring yet, but I have twisted all parts together. Should i wait to solder until after the rest of the wiring is done and solder all at once? Or can I solder everything on the crossover, then solder the OFC joints a second time after I actually attach the OFC?

FYI - Madisound has Erse foil inductors on sale at really good prices. I have a feeling Erse may be on the way out? (just check their website stock - and it's been that a way for a little while now). I have done some inductor comparisons the past few days and do find foil to be the cleanest and most neutral. I also swear that there is much improved detail and transient attack when used on the woofer. Stellar dynamics. I am almost certain it's due to the foil inductor. Barring foil, Meniscus inductors are rated as '5-9s' 99.999% copper, the highest purity I have seen rated for any inductor so far - and they sound clean and warm and are very affordable alternative to the Solen/Erse Perfect Lays.

Avoid Jantzen, they add false detail and crud. In the shunt position they are passable.

Sonicaps remind me of Claritycap MR, at almost 1/5th the price! Character-less cap.

When we get to the negative wire we often need to catch the shunt leg of a component returning to ground. There is no real reason to cut little pieces of wire to make those jumpers. We can go from the driver straight back to the source with one piece of wire and just catch that inductor on the way with a little splice in between.

I assembled my first A/V-1 crossover using scenario A, because I assumed it is "bad" to attach the leads of the resistor and the inductor before connecting to the OFC wire (scenario B). The diagram from Danny shows separate wires meeting at the post on the cup. For cleanliness, can you just use one wire like I did in scenario A, or is it necessary to use 2 separate wires (one from the inductor and one from the resistor)? Thanks for your help!

A fellow Audio Circle member recently asked me to construct single board crossovers for a pair of N3 TL towers that he is building in lieu of separate low and high pass filter boards. The boards were cut from scrap pieces of 1/4" thick Pergo flooring that Ihad in my shop and are 4-1/2" wide x 9-3/4"long. The parts are secured to the board with hot glue and plastic wire ties. Also, each board is secured to the interior cabinet walls with six(6) No. 8 x 1" long Hex Head sheet metal screws and 1/4" thick vinyl bumpers between the board and the cabinet wall. The following picture shows how it looks:

Attached are pictures of the crossovers I just completed for a pair of GR Research A/V-1RS surroundspeakers. The boards were constructed from scrap pieces of Pergo laminated flooring and were cut to 9" long x 2" wide x 1/4" thick. Parts are secured to the boards with hot melt glue and plastic wire ties.

I have a question (I'm going to post it in my build thread as well) .How often are crossover compnents prone to failure ? I'm just curious because if I glue my front panels on, I will have no access to my cross overs. What does everyone do with regards to accessing the crossover in a tower speaker ?

The components parts used in your crossover are high voltage, high quality and rarely, if ever, fail. If you locate the crossover on the back panel behind the lower woofer all you have to do is remove the woofer for access to it.

The components parts used in your crossover are high voltage, high quality and rarely, if ever, fail. If you locate the crossover on the back panel behind the lower woofer all you have to do is remove the woofer for access to it.

Remember, these are front vented .... hence the C/o would be between brace D and F on the rear wall so I don't think I could get to it through the woofer holeI could maybe fit it above brace D on the rear wall but Danny suggested I put it below D and above F